Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

This thread contains all of the rules which apply to racing in the official AOR Project CARS GT3 Leagues. Our rules are in place to help us maintain clean and fair racing in the leagues, and these must be respected and followed by all drivers.

League Rules:
Our rules are designed to promote clean and fair racing in the leagues. In short, driving cleanly means no corner cutting or track extending to gain time, and no contact with other cars. We understand that mistakes and accidents can happen, but as a driver in our leagues, you are required to do your very best to ensure clean racing at all times. The rules also include guidelines for general behaviour and league participation.

Click the links below or scroll down to see a specific section of the rules.

Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

1.1.1● Race cleanly at all times. No contact should occur between cars on track, and as a driver you are required to do your best to avoid this from happening. Accidents can happen, but if you are at fault for causing a collision, you are likely to be penalised.

1.1.2● Deliberately crashing into another car will result in being permanently excluded from the league.

1.1.3● If you accidentally take out another car, or are responsible for causing an incident, you have to slow down and safely let the affected car(s) back in front of you on track, as long as the circumstances allow it. Even if it doesn't benefit the other car, that is the punishment you have to take for causing a collision. If you fail to follow this rule, you are likely to receive a harsher penalty by the stewards if the incident is reported after the race. This rule can only be overruled by the affected driver telling you over voice chat to keep going.

1.1.3.1● The above rule still applies even if lag (connection issues) is the cause of the incident, when it is obvious that your car's lag is the cause of another driver going off, as this would still be classed as an unfair overtake. Please be more careful around other drivers if you are regularly involved in lag-related incidents.

1.2 Overtaking:

● Don't be too aggressive when trying to overtake. As the chasing car, it is generally your responsibility to not make contact with the car in front.

1.3 Defending:

● Excessive weaving and blocking is not allowed. When defending from another car, choose a line on the track and stick to it. Do not force a chasing car off the track by leaving it too little room. If the attacking car is alongside you going into a corner (generally if the attacking car's front wheels is alongside the defending car's rear wheels), you must adjust your line to avoid contact.

1.4 Corner cutting/track extending:

1.4.1● Stay within the track boundaries with at least two tyres at all times. The track boundaries are defined by the white lines, NOT by the edge of the kerbs. Cutting corners, or extending the track, to gain an advantage is not allowed. Drivers found to be persistently breaking this rule will be penalised retrospectively.

1.4.2● If you overtake another driver with all four wheels off track, or as a consequence of cutting a corner, you must slow down and give the position back.

1.4.3● It is not really possible to determine a specific value for how many cuts are needed - or how big a cut needs to be - in order to be judged as "persistently" breaking the 1.4.1 rule. If we did that, we would essentially be allowing a certain extent of cutting, which goes against the whole purpose of this rule. But basically, the general guideline is to don't cut corners on purpose, and don't take the mickey with the track limits. Of course, the odd misjudgement of a corner can happen, but if you accidentally gain an advantage by going outside the track limits, you are expected to back off to an extent that clearly negates any advantage gained. Failing to do this puts you at the risk of being penalised.

1.4.4● If a driver is reported to the stewards for a breach of this rule, it is up to the stewards' discretion as to whether they feel the driver has abused the track limits to an extent where a penalty is justified, and if so what type of penalty is appropriate to be handed out. This will depend on the severity and frequency of the cuts. The bottom line is, if you want to make sure you are not in danger of being awarded a stewards penalty, make sure you don't gain time from leaving the track limits throughout qualifying and the race.

1.4.4.1● If track limits are exceeded, you need to very clearly demonstrate that you have lost any time gained by lifting completely off throttle for the amount of time you were outside the white lines. This makes it easier to distinguish that an attempt was made to negate any advantage, in any replays or footage provided to the stewards after the race. If you are found to still be exceeding track limits regularly, even when coming off throttle to give up any advantage, or not lifting off throttle for long enough, you can still be penalised.

1.5 Qualifying etiquette:

1.5.1● In qualifying, it is your own responsibility to find free space on the track when starting a hot lap. A car on a hot lap does not have to yield for a faster car approaching from behind. If you are on an in- or out-lap, however, you have to let faster cars pass you without blocking them. If you are on a fast lap approaching a slow car, flashing your lights is a way of notifying them that you're on a fast lap.

1.5.2● If you join the session after qualifying has taken place, there is a chance your car will be placed in the pole position slot on the grid. If this happens you are to let the field pass you safely as soon as possible - failure to do so will result in disqualification from the race.

1.6 Spacial Awareness

1.6.1● Unlike other racing games, Project CARS does not have any assists to let you know when a car is in close proximity to yours. There are no arrows like on the F1 games and no spotter like on iRacing. Being aware of where another car is majorly important in a race so taking extra care is important both at the start of a race and in battles.

1.6.2● If you spin off whilst the pack is close, rejoining the track immediately is ill-advised. You do not ghost and you will cause accidents. Staying still is the best option until the other cars have avoided you. It is far easier to avoid a stationary obstacle.

1.6.3● If you go off the track, rejoin in a manner that is both safe and in no way a danger to other competitors.

1.6.4● When you're coming up to lap another car, it is advised to alert that driver through the chat so they are aware that you will soon be lapping them.

Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

2.1.1● We are running with the in-game rules & flags system, which means that game should alert you with a blue flag when you are about to be lapped. When being lapped, it is your responsibility to let the leaders through safely at the earliest opportunity, without blocking them.

2.1.2● As a means of helping with blue flags, we advise the leaders to flash their lights at cars due to be lapped. This should not be done excessively. This is their cue to move out of your way. Therefore, flashing your lights at a competitor you are racing for position is not to be used as a "distraction technique" or in anger at an incident.

2.1.3● If you are going faster than a car that has lapped you, do not attempt to unlap yourself unless it is safe to do so and doesn't hinder the car in front.

2.2 Pit stops:

2.2.1● Stay within the white line when entering and exiting the pit lane. If you cause a dangerous situation by crossing the pit entrance or exit line, or if this is done in a way that blatantly gains time or track position, you will be penalised.

2.2.2● Pit stops are not mandatory, and tyre wear is no longer accelerated, meaning that pit-stops are not forced upon you for this season, unless you are very aggressive on your tyres or suffer damage during the race.

2.3 Driving in different conditions:

2.3.1● For races that take place at night time, all drivers are required to have their headlights on in order to make your car visible to others, and to make the road more visible for you. If you're involved in an accident which damages both of your headlights, you should return to the pits immediately for repairs. Please also make sure you have a button assigned to turn the headlights on.

2.3.1.1● The above rule about having headlights on also applies to running in the fog and in the rain.

2.3.2● For races with rain or a chance of rain, please make sure you have a button assigned to turn the wipers on.

2.4 Reset to Track Button:

● During the race, you should not use the 'Reset to Track' button (should you have it assigned) except in extreme circumstances. Falling off the track and ending way off in the gravel is not a good enough excuse to use it. If your car rolls over for whatever reason, that is an acceptable reason to use it.

2.5 In-Game Disqualification

● If you are disqualified from the race in-game, submit your full race replay to the stewards. If we feel that the disqualification was justified, it will remain. However if we feel that the disqualification was unfair, or a result of a game glitch, then you will be classified as the last finisher and score full points for that position.

2.6 Manual Rolling Start:

The Procedure and Rules:

- Upon the in-game green light, all cars are to remain stationary for 5 seconds. The leader will then pull away at a slow pace, and subsequently the rest of the field will pull away 1 by 1 behind them to form a single file train with no overtaking. Drivers are to drive along the middle/centre of the grid once they have pulled away to avoid any drivers to the sides with issues.

If a driver is to have an issue at the start, they are to indicate this as clearly as possible to those around them, either by alerting others in TS/Party Chat or by rapidly flashing headlights.

If the driver is able to move and then fix the problem, they are to do so by slowly pulling over to the side of the track closest to them to rectify the issue. If the driver with an issue cannot move, they are to remain stationary and rapidly flash their headlights.

Once the issue is resolved, they are allowed to pull away and re-form at the back of the pack in last position.

If the issue is resolved whilst cars are still driving past them on the grid, they are to wait and remain stationary until all drivers have passed them, and re-form at the back of the pack in last position.

If a driver is to sustain heavy damage at the start due to unique circumstances and through no fault of their own, the driver can go ahead of the pack once everyone is moving to enter the pits and repair any significant damage if they wish to do so. Once they leave the pits, they are to park immediately at the pit exit in a safe place and wait for the race start.

Please communicate if you have issues as early as possible and at the start of the formation lap process, as you will only be allowed to go ahead of the pack if the situation is obvious and the party leader approves for you to do so.

If the pack is moving when approval is given, all drivers are to stick to the right hand side of the circuit, no matter what track it is to allow the affected drivers through ahead of the pack.

For example, if you are in P4 and spin on the formation lap, you must form up at the back of the grid.

- Once the leader of the single file train has pulled away, they can accelerate up to a speed of 80mph/130kph and will then maintain that throughout the lap, slowing down clearly and gradually for any corners that require slower speeds, and then accelerating up to the limit of 80mph/130kph. The rest of the drivers in the train are to follow the leader around the lap, sticking to a similar pace and maintaining safe distances to drivers around them for tyre and braking warming.

Weaving and warming of the brakes is allowed whilst single file, and drivers should be aware that other drivers will be doing this, allowing for sufficient room and ensuring brake warming is done with sufficient space without danger to other drivers.

If a driver spins off at any point in the formation lap, they are to hold their position, wait for the train of cars to pass through and re-form at the back of the grid in last position.

If a driver sustains light damage during the formation lap from contact with another car, but doesn't spin or lose grid position, they will NOT be allowed to go ahead for repairs and must pit after the FIRST racing lap.

- The cars will remain in a single file train until a designated point on the circuit called 'The Formation Point', usually a corner or couple of corners before the start finish line depending on the circuit and it's layout. These will be clearly communicated and displayed in the relevant thread for each circuit before the race starts for every driver to see.

At the formation point, the leader will slow down to 50mph/80kph and the 2nd placed driver, will pull alongside to form a second train.

The grid will then split into the two trains forming a 2 x 2 formation, with drivers forming up on the opposite side of the circuit to the driver in the position immediately above them. For example at Silverstone, all drivers in an odd numbered position (1,3,5,7 etc) will split to the right hand side of the circuit and all drivers in an even numbered position (2,4,6,8 etc) will move to the left hand side of the circuit.The formation should look like this from a bird's eye view:

2--1
4--3
6--5
8--7

From this point onwards, drivers are no longer allowed to perform excessive tyre and brake warming manoeuvres. Both are to be kept at a minimum if at all. Any manoeuvres that cause others to take avoiding action can have severe detrimental affects to the race start possibly causing contact and/or delays which could result in a penalty from the stewards.

- The two trains will roll in 2 x 2 formation, side by side towards the start finish line and over the marked grid boxes on the trains corresponding side, with the train lead by P1 on the inside line for the first turn.

The lead drivers are to still maintain 50mph/80kph at this stage. Any drivers behind the lead pair can use whatever speed necessary to close up the gap to the car directly in front of them in the train, without endangering other drivers around them. Once formed up, drivers are allowed to leave no more than 2 car lengths between themselves and the car directly in front of your train.

Drivers need to keep in mind that if the track requires the two trains to drive through a corner or sequence of corners, that they need to allow plenty of room to their sides for the other train and not squeeze or endanger the other drivers around them.

If there is an issue at this stage, the league coordinator or the driver in P1 are to signify an aborted race start either by communicating in TS/Party Chat or rapidly flash their headlights for other drivers. If the league co-coordinator is down the grid in the pack and out of clear view for P1, other drivers around them are to flash their headlights until the driver in P1 does so too, signifying that they understand there is an issue. In this situation, the two trains will maintain formation and at the speed of 50mph/80kph over the start finish line and down to turn 1. Once the first turn has been navigated and it is safe to do so, P1 will accelerate back up to 80mph/130kph, drivers are to reform in the single file train and the formation lap process will start again.

- As the leaders of the two trains roll across the grid boxes at the constant speed of 50mph/80kph, at any point of their choice between 2 designated and clearly visible points known as 'The Acceleration Zone', P1 is allowed to go full throttle to signify the start of the race. From this moment, all other drivers are now allowed to accelerate to race speeds, but are NOT allowed to overtake the car directly in front of them in their train until they themselves have crossed over the start finish line.

When P1 accelerates to signify the start of the race, they must do so in a clear manner within the designated acceleration zone. They are not allowed to try and bait other drivers by jumping on and off the accelerator. Once the driver in P1 accelerates in the acceleration zone, they must continue to do so and not change their mind.

From the moment everyone starts to accelerate, drivers may break from their train if they have a good run on the driver ahead. Bear in mind that you still can not overtake the driver directly in front of you in your train until you have crossed over the start finish line. Also be aware of other drivers alongside you doing the same.

With regards to the two leaders of the trains (P1 and P2), despite there being no car directly infront of P2, they are still not allowed to overtake before the start finish line. This gives P1 a protected status up to the point of the line, from there onwards, P2 is allowed to overtake P1.

Once the full grid has passed the end of the pit-lane, any drivers who are there waiting after having repaired serious issues from the start can now race and join the back of the pack.

Additional Rules and Info:

- If a driver has to go ahead of the pack to pit for repairs, they are allowed to drive at normal racing or safe speeds depending on the damage to reach the pit-lane ahead of the pack. Once they leave the pits, they are to stop immediately and wait for the race start.
- If multiple drivers have to go ahead of the pack to pit for repairs, they have to do so in the order they qualified in with no overtaking unless the other driver has a clear issue and can't maintain a racing speed. Only then would you be allowed to pass but it must be done so safely with plenty of room given by both drivers. When coming out the pit-lane after the repairs and stopping to wait for the pack, they must leave room for the other drivers to stop and wait, and park up in the order that they leave the pit-lane.

When the pack drives past at the race start they are allowed to accelerate to catch the pack in the order they left the pit-lane in.

If the race start is abandoned, the drivers at the pit-lane must wait until the pack has driven past before accelerating and rejoining the back of the pack in the order they left the pit-lane in and rejoin in the repeated formation lap procedure.

- Any drivers sustaining damage during the formation lap have to take the rolling race start, and are not allowed to take to the pit-lane to repair. Likewise if the formation lap is aborted and restarted. Only once the race is actually underway will the drivers with damage be allowed to take to the pit-lane to repair their damage next time they approach the pit-lane entry on the first racing lap.

The main reason for this is if someone pulls off into the pit-lane when in 2 x 2 formation, it's a complete utter logistical nightmare to get everyone else behind to then switch to the other side of the grid so there are no gaps before the race start.

For a good visual demonstration of the rolling start procedure, watch the video below:

Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

● We urge you to use a working headset while in the race lobby, to effectively receive any potential messages or instructions from the League Coordinator. Having the ability to talk to other drivers during the race can also make it easier to avoid - and resolve - any on-track incidents.

It is not mandatory to be in game chat and use a headset, but it is desirable.

PC leagues will have access to a TeamSpeak server which acts as the official game chat.

3.2 Lobby etiquette:

3.2.1● Shouting, name-calling and generally speaking rudely is not acceptable. Drivers who are a disruptive influence on the lobby atmosphere will be penalised accordingly, or in extreme cases removed from the league.

3.2.2● Respect the other drivers. Keep a friendly atmosphere in the race lobby and treat your fellow drivers as equals, regardless of them being quicker or slower than you.

3.2.3● Respect the League Coordinator. Listen if he is giving a message, and accept the decisions he makes. If you feel any actions/decisions are wrong, address the issue calmly and maturely. Coordinators' decisions are final within the lobby, but may be reviewed later if you feel an error has been made. Please accept that making a call instantly can be tricky and the Coordinator, even if participating in the race, is expected to be entirely neutral.

3.3 Race etiquette:

3.3.1● If you are involved in an on-track incident, don't overreact. It may be frustrating, but you need to stay calm and get on with it. Losing out due to another driver's mistake or recklessness is no excuse for retaliation or acting against the rules.

3.3.2● If another driver does something you feel is against the rules, report it to the Stewards Panel after the race rather than argue about it over the voice chat or in the forums post race.

3.3.3● If you are having a bad race, don't act foolishly. As a driver, you have to accept that some races will be better than others and you can't always have it your way. If you are unable to enjoy the racing due to not always being at the front, this is not the place for you - there are many drivers in the league, and someone will always have to be at the back.

3.4 Rage-quitting:

● Deliberately quitting the race in any way - whether that is by quitting through the pause menu, getting yourself disqualified or deliberately crashing your car - is not allowed, unless you have a very good reason to do so. Accepted reasons for quitting could be that you are a danger to other drivers on track due to poor driving or connection issues, or that you are so far behind that it's obvious that you won't be racing anyone for the rest of the race. Quitting because you "couldn't be bothered" or due to being angry at something - rage-quitting, in other words - are not a good reasons.

3.5 Forum activity:

3.5.1● You need to be an active member on the AOR forum while being a driver in our leagues. We aren't forcing you to make several posts every day, but we prefer drivers who are involved with the community. We will occasionally check how long it has been since a driver has been logged into his forum account - if you have been inactive on the forum for a long period of time, you may be removed from the league.

3.5.2● You are also expected to behave in a respectful manner on the forum, like in the race lobbies. Please avoid name-calling, baiting and other behaviour that is intended to aggravate other members of the community.

Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

4.1.1● If you are unable to attend a race, you have to give sufficient notice for your absence before the race starts. This is done by informing your League Coordinator of your situation, either by sending him a private message or by making a post in the race thread on the forum. It is your responsibility to make sure the Coordinator gets your message.

4.1.2● When informing the Coordinator of your absence, a proper reason must be given for why you can't attend. No-showing a race because you don't like the track, because you "can't be bothered", or other similar reasons are not accepted and you position in the league will be put under review immediately.

4.1.3● When informing the Coordinator of your absence, it must be you who contacts the Coordinator, not a friend or fellow member of the tier. Additionally, sufficient notice should be given. For example, 15 minutes before the lobby is set up is not sufficient notice. Letting the Coordinator know after the race will be marked down as uninformed absence unless an acceptable reason is given.

4.1.4● If you get marked for 3 uninformed absences throughout a season, whether this is consecutive or not, you will be removed from the league.

4.1.5● Getting another driver to race in your name is also completely prohibited and will result in serious punishment.

4.2 Connection & Lag:

4.2.1● It's an unfortunate aspect of online racing that having a stable connection can be critical to being able to race closely with other cars. While we understand that not everyone can have perfect connections, and that occasional lag can't be avoided, we reserve the right to ask a driver to step down from the league if their connection is causing too many issues for other drivers.

4.2.2● To be accepted into a league, your connection's ping towards a UK-located server needs to be lower than 150ms. You can test this here.

4.3 Pulling out mid-season:

4.3.1● If you have to pull out of the league while the season is ongoing, you must let a member of the Project CARS Team know. If you leave by simply not showing up for the races, without informing anyone, you will be placed on the blacklist, which means you will not be allowed to rejoin the leagues in the future.

4.3.2● It's impossible for us to stop anyone from leaving if they've made their mind up, but keep in mind when signing up that pulling out of the league without a proper reason while the season is ongoing will see you placed on the blacklist. A proper reason would be something happening in your life that forces you to quit - something that you didn't expect when signing up - or that your equipment (hardware or lag issues) leave you unable to carry on. However, choosing to quit due to getting bored of the game, having a bad season or because something goes against you, is not a good reason. Remember, when signing up you commit yourself to racing for a full season, not only for a few races.

4.3.3● If you find yourself in a situation where you're not enjoying your league because all other drivers are too quick or too slow compared to yourself, contact a member of the Project CARS Team rather than just giving up - and maybe we can find a solution. We may grant league swaps for drivers during the season if it's clear that they've been misplaced, given that this doesn't upset the balance between the leagues with regards to driver numbers.

4.3.4● Note that the above rules only apply while the season is ongoing. We don't have a problem with drivers choosing to leave after a season has finished, for whatever reason.

Alex Championship runner-up & 1-time GP2 Champion

We can't possibly control all the actions of our drivers, but we have ways to penalise drivers who break the rules.

5.1 Saving Replays

As a means of helping the stewards with their enquiries, all drivers are required to save their race replays and keep it stored for at least one week after the race has taken place.

5.2 Stewards Panel:

The Stewards Panel forum can be used to report incidents and other rule violations that occur in a race. A proper explanation and/or evidence of the incident must be provided in order for it to be investigated. This will then be looked into by various members of the Project CARS Team and appropriate action will be taken.

What you can make a stewards enquiry for:

●Racing incidents: If you feel another driver has caused an incident - eg. hitting your car, forcing you off the track, or generally driving too aggressively - you should report this to the stewards for investigation.

●Race start issues: If you feel another driver failed to stick to the rules of the manual rolling start, you should report this to the stewards.

●Track limits: If you witness another driver persistently gaining time by abusing the track limits by either running wide or cutting corners, you should report this to the stewards for investigation.

●Dangerous driving: If a driver rejoins the track in an unsafe or dangerous manner, or drives in a way that is a danger to other cars, you should report it to the stewards.

Time limit for enquiries: Note that there is a time limit of 2 days (48 hours) after the race has run to make a stewards enquiry for an incident you have been involved in or witnessed during the race. If any new rule violations come to light through videos released after this time, it is still possible to report this, but only if this violation is something that was not visible to the other driver(s) in the race at the time it happened.

5.3 Penalties:

The stewards have a variety of penalties that may be applied to punish drivers who break our racing rules, depending on the severity of the violation. The available penalties are sorted below, in order of severity. Breaking a rule also leads to penalty points being added to your name - see further down for more details.

(Note that penalties may be added together in the event of multiple violations in a race, which could result in total time penalties of a higher number than what is suggested below)

● 5-second time penalty● 10-second time penalty● 20-second time penalty● 30-second time penalty● Qualifying ban for the next race (may also be applied in place of a time penalty if the driver did not finish the race)● Disqualification from the race● One-race ban● Multiple-race ban● Permanent removal from the league

Any penalties will be aimed at the person who has done wrong - we cannot compensate anyone else as a result of someone's actions. All penalties are discussed by the Stewards Panel (consisting of the members of the Project CARS Team - Admins, Moderators and Coordinators - from all platforms) before being issued and the driver will always be informed of the outcome. The Stewards Panel is completely neutral and will not include anyone who may be affected by the incident in question.

5.4 Penalty points system:

The penalty points system is a way of keeping track of a driver's record of breaking the rules of clean racing, and to more severely punish repeat offenders. Penalty points will be applied alongside normal race penalties, as per the list below.

If you accumulate 50 points, your league position will be put under review, with the likely outcome of being removed from the league.

Penalty points will usually be reset ahead of a new season.

5.5 Reprimand system:

While the race penalties and penalty points system are aimed at dealing with on-track issues, the reprimand system deals with issues that may occur off the track.

It's simple - if you receive 3 reprimands, you're out. Receiving 3 reprimands would also see you placed on the blacklist, meaning you would not be allowed to return to the leagues in the future.

You can receive a reprimand for the following:

● No-showing a race without giving prior notice to the League Coordinator● Rage-quitting or deliberately crashing out of the session for no good reason (as specified in rule 3.4)● Showing abusive behaviour towards another driver, either in the race lobby or on the forum

Note that if we encounter situations where someone's behaviour gets completely out of hand and is extremely serious, a ban may be applied directly regardless of reprimands accumulated.

5.6 Blacklist:

The blacklist contains the names of drivers who have been removed from the leagues - either through accumulating 50 penalty points or 3 reprimands - and drivers who have left the leagues during an ongoing season with no good reason.

Having your name applied to the blacklist generally means you will not be allowed to rejoin the leagues in the future.